


new recruits

by Birdschach



Series: PRarara [1]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Gen, I don't know exactly where I'm going with this yet but it's a thing, Pacific Rim AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-10 21:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8940229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdschach/pseuds/Birdschach
Summary: This'll be part of a series I'm planning, but I'm not really sure where all it's going yet.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This'll be part of a series I'm planning, but I'm not really sure where all it's going yet.

"You haven't given much thought to what you're doing after we're done with school, have you?" Shinra asks, a question that has been on many lips with the end of the year looming so closely. 

"Nah, not really. With my track record, there's not really much I could get into. I'll probably just find some job where I can keep my head down, stay out of the way," Shizuo answers, knowing employment will be a difficult goal with the countless charges of destruction of property that follow in his wake. Never mind keeping a job, if a coworker or customer pisses him off. 

"Hmm, well, why would you not go for something you're more suited for?" Shinra asks, and a glint enters his eyes that Shizuo is all too familiar with (and has never particularly enjoyed)

"What, you have something in mind?" Shizuo asks, his frustration coming through in his tone. "And I swear, if you say test subject for whatever freaky stuff your dad has going on, I'm going to send your ass into orbit!"

"Uh, well, yeah it does involve my dad," Shinra admits, "But they made him stop all the the really shady stuff! When they assigned him at the Shatterdome, they decided his research should focus more on Kaiju."

"Get to your point, Shinra," Shizuo urges, his temper getting the best of him.

"Ah, well, they always need new pilots, and in just really curious how your strength would translate into a Jaeger!" Shinra says, "I mean, if your mind can ignore your body's limits, maybe it'll do the same in the drift, too!"

"Yeah, I didn't understand a word of that. Anyway, I thought you had to be either a prodigy, or really well trained for that." Shizuo says, though his knowledge of the Jaeger program is admittedly weak. 

"Maybe in the past, but the Kaiju come so much more frequently now, dad says we're really desperate for pilots," Shinra says. "He and my step-mom wanted me to recruit anyone I thought seemed skilled, so, here I am."

"Huh. Well, if you think I'd be good for it," Shizuo says, wondering if something like this could really work out. It would be a positive use for all his strength, using it to protect instead of hurt. After all, if it's just him and a giant monster out in the ocean, what harm could he cause? 

"Of course you would be! I mean, we've both seen you do some serious damage, but that's only a good thing in a Jaeger!" Shinra exclaims. "And then you get to stick with your best friend!"

"Uhh, Shinra...I don't know that I'd call you my _best_ friend...more like creepy friend that follows me around talking about monsters," Shizuo replies. "Anyway, as long as that flea bag isn't around, I'm in."

"Oh don't worry, I wasn't going to recruit him!" Shinra promises. 

~X~

"What are you planning on doing once you're out of school, Shinra?" Izaya asks one day, surprising Shinra. 

"Huh? A question like that doesn't seem like you, Izaya. Normally you'd want to know something more eccentric, like how I'd react to a headless woman or something," Shinra responds, "What's with you, asking something so mundane?"

"Oh, nothing. I just know of where your father happens to be employed. And, from what I've seen of him, I assumed he'd want you as a pilot," Izaya explains, "I'm not far from the mark, am I?"

"Well, no, he does think I'd be eligible for the program," Shinra says, "But I'm still not sure why you're asking."

"Shinra! I'm surprised at you. You know my love for humans, don't you? I've told you many times," Izaya asks. 

"Yes, I'm aware, but I don't see how that's related," Shinra responds. 

"Well, look at it this way, if the Kaiju continue unchecked, they could easily escalate to an extinction-level event," Izaya explains, "And that is something I simply cannot and will not tolerate. So you're going to get me in as a Ranger."

"Ah, see, there's a funny thing about that," Shinra says, looking slightly taken aback. The selfish altruism that drives Izaya surprises him, but still, a promise is a promise. "I recruited Shizuo earlier and kind of promised you wouldn't be there. So I can't really do that."

"You're trying to let that...thing, pilot a Jaeger? He's basically a small Kaiju as is, he's such a destructive brute," Izaya says, practically spitting the words. "Who would ever think it was a good idea to put him into a giant robot meant to match their destructive power blow for blow?"

"My dad. I told him about Shizuo, and he wondered if whatever it was that let him push past his body's limits would work in a Jaeger, too. Or something like that," Shinra says. "Anyway, I'm just saying I can't bring you with me. But, if there's really nothing I can do about you going on your own, is there? After all, I only promised I wouldn't recruit you."

"Shinra, do you ever feel guilty about being so relentlessly manipulative?" Izaya asks. 

"Do you?" Shinra retorts with a smile. 

"I can't deny that you've got me there," Izaya admits, shrugging.

~X~

Once the three of them graduated, the day to apply for work at the Shatterdome came quickly. Of course, Shinra made no effort to warn Shizuo that Izaya would be there, playing the innocent friend up until they arrived, and were ushered into the waiting room with the other recruits. 

"Hey, Shinra?" Shizuo asks. 

"Yeah?" Shinra answers, knowing the question that will come next. 

"What the hell is he doing here?" Shizuo growls.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh wow. I had no idea he would be here!" Shinra lies, trying to appear innocent. 

"Now, Shinra, we all know that isn't true," Izaya says. "Didn't you say as long as you didn't recruit me, there'd be no problem?"

Even as Izaya tries defending his position with his own twisted logic, Shizuo closes the distance between them. "I don't give a damn what excuse you have for being here, I don't want to-" Shizuo begins, but a nearly-forgotten voice interrupts him.

"Woah, Shizuo? Is that you, man? Long time, no see!" Tom Tanaka says, approaching Shizuo and clapping a hand on his shoulder. Shizuo turns to look at him, and his anger seems to fade as he tries to place the man he hasn't seen in years. 

"...Tom?" he asks, finally, and his confusion is broken by a smile. "Hey, man, what are you doing here?"

Though Shizuo had been seconds from beating Izaya to a pulp, Tom's greeting mellows him out surprisingly quickly.

"What are you doing here, Tom?" Shizuo asks. 

"Well, didn't really know what I wanted to go into after school. Figured I might as well sign up with the Shatterdome," Tom explains. 

"You too, huh? Well it'll be nice to have a familiar face around here," Shizuo says, not noticing the look of offense that flashes across Shinra's face. "Trying for Ranger, or what?"

"Ha, me, a pilot? That's flattering, but I really don't know if I'm suited for combat like that," Tom says with a shrug. "Nah, I was thinking I'd go for the control room, maybe."

"Well, you've always kept a cool head, that should work out for you!" Shizuo says. 

"Ha, if only you could keep a cool head, Shizu-chan," Izaya says, attempting to rekindle their fight from earlier, almost as if he wants to get Shizuo kicked out before they even have a chance to join up. 

"Mind your own business, damn flea bag," Shizuo growls, but before he can get too worked up, Tom is pushing him away. Shinra begins speaking with Izaya, and with the two of them separated things start to calm down. 

Tom had no way of knowing, but in leading Shizuo to the group of four he had met in the waiting room, Tom shows Shizuo to a familiar face. 

"Oh, hey, Kadota. You here too?" Shizuo asks. 

"Hey, Shizuo! Yeah, sure am. These two kind of insisted, and me and Saburo here figured we'd sign up too," Kadota says. 

"I don't see why anyone _wouldn't_ sign up!" a well-dressed half-Japanese man says. 

"Yeah, I mean this is a dream job for me and Yumachi!" an equally well-dressed girl interjects. 

"Getting to pilot a giant robot and fight alien invaders? It's like a mecha anime come to life!" The young man continues, "Once we get through training, it's only a matter of time before a stunning alien princess makes her way to Earth, confessing her love to me and joining our forces to defeat the Kaiju once and for all!"

"Geez, Walker, you know that's not going to happen, right?" The fourth group member speaks up, shooting down his friend's wild fantasy. "Shizuo, huh? I'm Saburo, and these two are Walker and Erika. Seems like you know Kadota, but we're signing up to be Rangers."

"And I deeply hope all of you make it!" an oddly muffled voice rings out. All of the potential recruits waiting turn to the center of the room, where a strange entourage has arrived. In the center is a man wearing a stark white lab coat over a black suit. His face is covered by a white gas mask, explaining the muffled sound of his voice. On one side is a young looking woman, also clad in a lab coat, with a matching gas mask perched atop her head, who looks like she could use some sleep despite seeming enthusiastic. On his other side a man towers above everyone present, with movie-star good looks and an oddly dangerous air about him. 

"For those of you who don't know, I'm Shingen Kishitani, Lead Researcher and Administrator of the Tokyo Shatterdome!" Shingen explains. "Beside me are my lovely wife and second-in-command Emilia Kishitani, and our semi-permanent guest from the Russian Shatterdome, Egor."

"Pleased to meet you," The tall Russian says. 

"Pleasure meeting, all are welcome!" Emilia adds. 

"Now, looking over the lot of you, I see a lot of promise. I already know my son over there will go far, after all, the boy is just like his father! And I couldn't help but notice the aggression Shizuo and Izaya seem to harbor for one another!" Shingen says. "I can't wait to get those two into a Jaeger, we might have another Brawling Ogre on our hands!"

"I refuse, I'll do no such thing with a monster like him," Izaya says. 

"Like hell I'll pilot anything with him," Shizuo says, nearly simultaneously. 

"Yeah, dad, that's a really bad idea," Shinra adds. 

"Aw, what do you kids know? They seem perfectly suited to me!" Shingen argues. 

"Actually, sir, I think the Brawling Ogre situation is incredibly rare. We've tried a few match-ups similar to theirs in Vladivostok, and they all ended disastrously," Egor says. 

"Hm, really? A damn shame, that," Shingen says, shrugging in defeat. "Regardless, I approve of the lot of you. Anyone who isn't suited will just be phased out during our rigorous training anyway, so it's no big deal if some of you aren't quite up to snuff! Emilia, Egor, if you would, show them to their quarters then go ahead and start their training."

"Yes, sir," they both say, though Emilia follows it up with a quick peck to her husband's gas mask. Shingen turns to leave, and the rest follow after Emilia and Egor. 

"Man, that guy was so cool!" Walker says, more to Erika than anyone else. 

"Yeah, he had this wicked air about him but was totally cool!" Erika agrees. 

"He was totally weird, man, what was up with that gas mask?" Saburo says. 

"He says in a world where giant alien monsters crawl out of the sea, they could easily pump the air full of toxins and kill us all that way," Shinra says. "Of course he wore it even before that, so I'm not sure how good of an excuse that is."

"Well, it's definitely weird," Saburo says. 

"Yo, man, he's the boss now. It'll take a little getting used to, but he at least seems to know what he's doing," Tom says. 

"I don't know, he did try to pair me up with that flea bag," Shizuo counters. 

"Children will be quieting down now!" Emilia says, from the head of the group. The phrase is strange coming from someone who appears to only be a few years older than them.

"The quarters ahead will be where you retire after training, so choose them wisely," Egor says. "All of your down time will be here, so make sure it's a location you won't tire of."

So the new recruits split up, choosing where they'll stay. Their training will take years, even though Tom will be training in procedure and protocol rather than combat and Jaeger operation. 

But each will be paired up with a compatible pilot, and each pair will have a Jaeger manufactured that they can pilot. Then, comes a life of fighting against the fearsome monsters known as Kaiju, in defense of Japan and the world as a whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was setting the scene here, the rest of the things I have planned will be separate stories in the same series, after a time skip.


End file.
